Three-dimensional shaping device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12459206-B2
Application number	US-202117381742-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 21, 2021
Priority date	Jul 23, 2020
Publication date	Nov 4, 2025
Grant date	Nov 4, 2025

Abstract

A three-dimensional shaping device includes: a shaping table; a layer forming unit configured to form a powder layer on the shaping table; a head configured to eject a liquid containing a binder from a nozzle to a shaping region; and a control unit configured to control movement of the head with respect to the shaping table and driving of the head by applying a voltage. The control unit executes a first flushing operation when an area of the shaping region is equal to or greater than the threshold value, and executes a second flushing operation when the area of the shaping region is less than the threshold value.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A three-dimensional shaping device, comprising:
a shaping table; a layer forming unit configured to form a powder layer on the shaping table; a liquid supply system comprising:
a pressure increase control liquid tank;
a pressure reduction control liquid tank; and
a head configured to eject a liquid containing a binder from a nozzle to a shaping on the powder layer, wherein
the head includes a pressure chamber communicating with the nozzle,
a supply path couples the pressure increase control liquid tank and the head and is configured to supply the liquid from the pressure increase control liquid tank to the pressure chamber,
a circulation path couples the pressure chamber and the nozzle and is configured to flow the liquid from the pressure chamber to the nozzle for circulation, and
a differential pressure control is performed by the pressure increase control liquid tank and the pressure reduction control liquid tank so that a slight negative pressure from an atmospheric pressure is applied to the nozzle of the head; and

a control unit configured to control movement of the head with respect to the shaping table and driving of the head by applying a voltage, and to control the head to execute a flushing operation at a flushing position which is a position different from a shaping region, wherein the control unit is configured to
calculate an area of the shaping region based on slice data for a single layer of shaping data acquired by the control unit to control movement of the head and drive the head;
control the head to execute a first flushing operation when the area of the shaping region of the single layer is equal to or greater than a threshold value;
control the head to execute a second flushing operation under a flushing condition different from that of the first flushing operation when the area of the shaping region of the single layer is less than the threshold value; and
control a flow of the liquid through the head such that q 2 /q 1 is equal to or greater than 0.05 and equal to or less than 20, where q 1 is a flow rate of the liquid flowing into the circulation path per unit time, and q 2 is a maximum flow rate of the liquid ejected from the nozzle per unit time.

2 . The three-dimensional shaping device according to claim 1 , wherein
a frequency of a waveform input to the head in the second flushing operation is higher than a frequency of a waveform input to the head in the first flushing operation.

3 . The three-dimensional shaping device according to claim 1 , wherein
a voltage to be applied to the head in the second flushing operation is higher than a voltage to be applied to the head in the first flushing operation.

4 . The three-dimensional shaping device according to claim 1 , wherein
an ejection speed of the liquid from the head in the second flushing operation is faster than an ejection speed of the liquid from the head in the first flushing operation.

5 . The three-dimensional shaping device according to claim 1 , wherein
a droplet size of the liquid ejected from the head in the second flushing operation is larger than a droplet size of the liquid ejected from the head in the first flushing operation.

6 . The three-dimensional shaping device according to claim 1 , wherein q 2 /q 1 is 0.05.

7 . The three-dimensional shaping device according to claim 1 , wherein
when the area of the shaping region of the single layer is equal to or greater than the threshold value, the control unit is configured to perform flushing interval acquisition processing and acquire a flushing internal, when the flushing interval is less than the threshold value, the flushing operation is completed, or when the flushing interval is equal to or greater than the threshold value, the control unit executes the first flushing operation.

Assignees

• Seiko Epson Corp

Inventors

• Tsunoya Akihiko
• Hirai Toshimitsu
• Momose Kaoru

Classifications

• B28B1/001

  Rapid manufacturing of 3D objects by additive depositing, agglomerating or laminating of material (selective deposition modelling of metallic powder B22F10/00; rapid manufacturing of 3D objects in general and in particular of plastics B29C64/00) · CPC title

• B22F10/85

  for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes · CPC title

• B29C64/209

  Heads; Nozzles · CPC title

• B28B17/0081

  Process control · CPC title

• B22F12/53

  Nozzles · CPC title